Notation. Nuclides are written with the mass number as a left superscript (e.g., ²⁰³Hg).
Columns. Stable? is for the ground state (Obs.-stable = no decay observed). Half‑lives are the best‑evaluated values; # marks values partly inferred from trends near the drip lines. Decay → daughter(s) lists dominant branch(es); Radiation summarizes β⁺/β⁻/EC/α/p (proton) or n (delayed neutron). Origin sketches typical production; Uses flags M (medical), I (industrial), R (research).
Primary data spine: the evaluated Isotopes of mercury table. (Wikipedia)
Table — ground states
| Nuclide | Z | A | Stable? | Half‑life | Decay → daughter(s) | Radiation | Origin (typical) | Uses / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¹⁷⁰Hg | 80 | 170 | No | ≈ 310 µs (#) | α → ¹⁶⁶Pt | α | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁷¹Hg | 80 | 171 | No | ≈ 70 µs (#) | α → ¹⁶⁷Pt | α | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁷²Hg | 80 | 172 | No | 231 µs | α → ¹⁶⁸Pt | α | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁷³Hg | 80 | 173 | No | ≈ 800 µs (#) | α → ¹⁶⁹Pt | α | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁷⁴Hg | 80 | 174 | No | 2.0 ms | α → ¹⁷⁰Pt | α | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁷⁵Hg | 80 | 175 | No | 10.2 ms | α → ¹⁷¹Pt | α | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁷⁶Hg | 80 | 176 | No | 20.3 ms | α ≈ 90% → ¹⁷²Pt; β⁺ ≈ 10% → ¹⁷⁶Au | α; β⁺ | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁷⁷Hg | 80 | 177 | No | 117 ms | α → ¹⁷³Pt | α | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁷⁸Hg | 80 | 178 | No | 266.5 ms | α ≈ 89% → ¹⁷⁴Pt; β⁺ ≈ 11% → ¹⁷⁸Au | α; β⁺ | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁷⁹Hg | 80 | 179 | No | 1.05 s | α ≈ 75% → ¹⁷⁵Pt; β⁺ ≈ 25% → ¹⁷⁹Au; β⁺,p 0.15% → ¹⁷⁸Pt | α; β⁺; p | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁸⁰Hg | 80 | 180 | No | 2.59 s | β⁺ ≈ 52% → ¹⁸⁰Au; α ≈ 48% → ¹⁷⁶Pt | β⁺; α | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁸¹Hg | 80 | 181 | No | 3.6 s | β⁺ ≈ 73% → ¹⁸¹Au; α ≈ 27% → ¹⁷⁷Pt (β⁺p 0.014% → ¹⁸⁰Pt) | β⁺; α; p(tr.) | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁸²Hg | 80 | 182 | No | 10.83 s | β⁺ 86.2% → ¹⁸²Au; α 13.8% → ¹⁷⁸Pt | β⁺; α | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁸³Hg | 80 | 183 | No | 9.4 s | β⁺ 88.3% → ¹⁸³Au; α 11.7% → ¹⁷⁹Pt | β⁺; α | Fusion‑evaporation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁸⁴Hg | 80 | 184 | No | 30.87 s | β⁺ 98.89% → ¹⁸⁴Au; α 1.11% → ¹⁸⁰Pt | β⁺; α | Activation / FE | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁸⁵Hg | 80 | 185 | No | 49.1 s | β⁺ 94% → ¹⁸⁵Au; α 6% → ¹⁸¹Pt | β⁺; α | Activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁸⁶Hg | 80 | 186 | No | 1.38 min | β⁺ 99.98% → ¹⁸⁶Au (α 0.016% → ¹⁸²Pt) | β⁺; α(tr.) | Activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁸⁷Hg | 80 | 187 | No | 1.9 min | β⁺ → ¹⁸⁷Au | β⁺ (γ) | Activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁸⁸Hg | 80 | 188 | No | 3.25 min | β⁺ → ¹⁸⁸Au (α 3.7×10⁻⁵%) | β⁺ (γ); α(tr.) | Activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁸⁹Hg | 80 | 189 | No | 7.6 min | β⁺ → ¹⁸⁹Au | β⁺ (γ) | Activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁹⁰Hg | 80 | 190 | No | 20.0 min | β⁺ → ¹⁹⁰Au | β⁺ (γ) | Activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁹¹Hg | 80 | 191 | No | ≈ 49 min | β⁺ → ¹⁹¹Au | β⁺ (γ) | Activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁹²Hg | 80 | 192 | No | 4.85 h | EC → ¹⁹²Au | X/γ (EC) | Activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁹³Hg | 80 | 193 | No | 3.80 h | β⁺ → ¹⁹³Au | β⁺ (γ) | Activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁹⁴Hg | 80 | 194 | No | ≈ 447 y | EC → ¹⁹⁴Au | X/γ (EC) | Spallation (ISOLDE), activation | R: long‑lived tracer; recommended value ~447 y, with historical measurements spanning 367–520 y. (Wikipedia, De Gruyter Brill, KAERI Nuclear Data Center) |
| ¹⁹⁵Hg | 80 | 195 | No | 10.69 h | β⁺ → ¹⁹⁵Au | β⁺ (γ) | Activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ¹⁹⁶Hg | 80 | 196 | Obs.-stable | — | — | — | Natural (0.15%) | Enrichment target for ¹⁹⁷Hg/¹⁹⁷ᵐHg via (n,γ) and cyclotron routes. (NIST, ScienceDirect) |
| ¹⁹⁷Hg | 80 | 197 | No | 64.14 h | EC → ¹⁹⁷Au | X/γ (EC) | Activation: ¹⁹⁶Hg(n,γ); cyclotron via Au(p,xn) | M/R: classic renal/brain radiopharm (¹⁹⁷Hg‑chlormerodrin); paired ¹⁹⁷ᵐHg/¹⁹⁷Hg explored as theranostic. (IAEA Nuclear Data Services, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, RSNA Publications, PMC) |
| ¹⁹⁸Hg | 80 | 198 | Obs.-stable | — | — | — | Natural (9.97%) | Stable isotope; enrichment target in activation studies. (NIST) |
| ¹⁹⁹Hg | 80 | 199 | Obs.-stable | — | — | — | Natural (16.87%) | R: NMR‑active (I = 1/2); ultra‑precise magnetometers & EDM searches set ** |
| ²⁰⁰Hg | 80 | 200 | Obs.-stable | — | — | — | Natural (23.10%) | Stable. (NIST) |
| ²⁰¹Hg | 80 | 201 | Obs.-stable | — | — | — | Natural (13.18%) | NMR‑active (I = 3/2), less favored vs ¹⁹⁹Hg for high‑resolution NMR. (Wikipedia) |
| ²⁰²Hg | 80 | 202 | Obs.-stable | — | — | — | Natural (29.86%) | Most abundant stable Hg. (NIST) |
| ²⁰³Hg | 80 | 203 | No | 46.610 d | β⁻ → ²⁰³Tl | β⁻ (γ 279 keV) | Activation: ²⁰²Hg(n,γ) | I/R: γ‑standard (279 keV) & radiotracer; well‑characterized decay for detector calibration. (Lnhb, EZAG Holding) |
| ²⁰⁴Hg | 80 | 204 | Obs.-stable | — | — | — | Natural (6.87%) | Stable. (NIST) |
| ²⁰⁵Hg | 80 | 205 | No | 5.14 min | β⁻ → ²⁰⁵Tl | β⁻ (γ) | Fragmentation/activation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²⁰⁶Hg | 80 | 206 | No | 8.32 min | β⁻ → ²⁰⁶Tl | β⁻ (γ) | Fragmentation (trace natural via U‑series, rare) | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²⁰⁷Hg | 80 | 207 | No | 2.9 min | β⁻ → ²⁰⁷Tl | β⁻ (γ) | Fragmentation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²⁰⁸Hg | 80 | 208 | No | 135 s | β⁻ → ²⁰⁸Tl | β⁻ (γ) | Fragmentation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²⁰⁹Hg | 80 | 209 | No | 6.3 s (#) | β⁻ → ²⁰⁹Tl | β⁻ | Fragmentation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²¹⁰Hg | 80 | 210 | No | 64 s (#) | β⁻ 97.8% → ²¹⁰Tl; β⁻,n 2.2% → ²⁰⁹Tl | β⁻; n (delayed) | Fragmentation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²¹¹Hg | 80 | 211 | No | 26.4 s (#) | β⁻ 93.7% → ²¹¹Tl; β⁻,n 6.3% → ²¹⁰Tl | β⁻; n | Fragmentation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²¹²Hg | 80 | 212 | No | ≈ 30 s (#) | (likely β⁻ → ²¹²Tl) | β⁻ | Fragmentation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²¹³Hg | 80 | 213 | No | ≈ 15 s (#) | (likely β⁻ → ²¹³Tl) | β⁻ | Fragmentation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²¹⁴Hg | 80 | 214 | No | ≈ 8 s (#) | (likely β⁻ → ²¹⁴Tl) | β⁻ | Fragmentation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²¹⁵Hg | 80 | 215 | No | ≈ 600 ms (#) | (likely β⁻ → ²¹⁵Tl) | β⁻ | Fragmentation | R. (Wikipedia) |
| ²¹⁶Hg | 80 | 216 | No | ≈ 2 s (#) | (likely β⁻ → ²¹⁶Tl) | β⁻ | Fragmentation | R. (Wikipedia) |
Primary table source (half‑lives/branches/daughters): Isotopes of mercury (NUBASE/ENSDF‑based listing). (Wikipedia)
Natural isotopic composition (terrestrial Hg — NIST)
Stable nuclides and mole fractions: ¹⁹⁶Hg 0.0015, ¹⁹⁸Hg 0.0997, ¹⁹⁹Hg 0.1687, ²⁰⁰Hg 0.2310, ²⁰¹Hg 0.1318, ²⁰²Hg 0.2986, ²⁰⁴Hg 0.0687. Standard atomic weight Aᵣ°(Hg) = 200.592(3) (abridged 200.59). (NIST)
Selected isomers (high‑leverage)
- ¹⁹⁷ᵐHg — t½ = 23.82 h; IT ≈ 94.7% → ¹⁹⁷Hg, EC ≈ 5.3% → ¹⁹⁷Au. Produced efficiently from Au with low‑energy protons; investigated as a theranostic pair with ¹⁹⁷Hg. (Wikipedia, ScienceDirect)
- ¹⁹⁹ᵐHg — t½ = 42.67 min, IT → ¹⁹⁹Hg; used in nuclear‑structure level studies (γ cascades). (Wikipedia)
Applied & research highlights
- Calibration & metrology. ²⁰³Hg (46.61 d, β⁻) has a clean 279.2 keV γ line; it is widely used as a γ‑ray detector calibration standard and in tracer studies. (Lnhb, EZAG Holding)
- Nuclear medicine (historical & R&D). ¹⁹⁷Hg/¹⁹⁷ᵐHg labeled chlormerodrin (Neohydrin) was a workhorse for renal/brain scintigraphy in the 1960s–70s; the pair is now of interest as an imaging/therapy theranostic system. (RSNA Publications, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, PMC)
- Precision physics. Enriched ¹⁹⁹Hg (spin 1/2) underpins high‑precision magnetometers and the world‑leading atomic EDM limit |d(¹⁹⁹Hg)| < 7.4×10⁻³⁰ e·cm; it also serves as a co‑magnetometer in neutron EDM experiments. (Physical Review, ScienceDirect)
- NMR. Both ¹⁹⁹Hg (I = 1/2) and ²⁰¹Hg (I = 3/2) are NMR‑active; ¹⁹⁹Hg is preferred for high‑resolution work. (Wikipedia)
Totals — Mercury (Z = 80)
- Ground‑state isotopes listed47 (A = 170–216, inclusive). (Wikipedia)
- Stable (ground states)7 (¹⁹⁶, ¹⁹⁸, ¹⁹⁹, ²⁰⁰, ²⁰¹, ²⁰², ²⁰⁴). (Wikipedia)
- Unstable (ground states)40. (Wikipedia)
Running cumulative totals (through Hg):
From Au running ledger (≥2518 total, 238 stable, ≥2279 unstable), add +47 total / +7 stable / +40 unstable → ≥2565 total, 245 stable, ≥2319 unstable.
Sources (load‑bearing)
- Comprehensive isotope list, half‑lives, decay branches & daughters: Isotopes of mercury page (NUBASE/ENSDF backbone). (Wikipedia)
- Isotopic composition & atomic weight: NIST PML Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions — Mercury. (NIST)
- ¹⁹⁷Hg decay data (and γ‑lines) — safeguards/ENSDF standardization: IAEA Nuclear Data for Safeguards (D1/D2 tables). (IAEA Nuclear Data Services)
- ¹⁹⁷ᵐHg / ¹⁹⁷Hg theranostics & production from Au: Walther et al. (2015) & Freudenberg et al. (2018). (ScienceDirect, PMC)
- ²⁰³Hg decay scheme/γ standard: LNHB data sheet; EZAG recommended decay data. (Lnhb, EZAG Holding)
- ¹⁹⁹Hg EDM limit & comagnetometer usage: PRL 2016; precision magnetometry literature. (Physical Review, ScienceDirect)
Next element: Thallium — Tl (Z = 81).
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